The Brookhaven leader., 1887-07-07
PRAYING FOR RAIN.
Portions Of Illinois and Wisconsin suffer
ing fof RaIn-Crowds Gather and Pray
for DelIverahce-.From Hamility to HI
1arfty-DIsappOinted.

Portions Of Illinois and Wisconsin Suffer
. ing fof RaIn--Crowds Gather and Pray
for De1lverahce-from Hamility TO HI
farity-DisaPpointed.
CANBRIpGEj i'll, July 1.-The country is
burning up under blazing sun. No such
drouth as now prevails has existed in this
section Of the country for many years The
roads are ankle-deep With dust, the pastures
are brown, the leaves on forest and shade
trees shriveled up, and each hot breath OF
air from the cloudless horizon drives them
away in showers Greeks have run dry and
The water in the larger streams IS at low
er stage than was ever kuOSn before. Many
wells have been pumped dry, and In cases
water for family use has TO be be carried
one or two miles There has not been a
soaking rain In this part of the country
since March. Two showers in April and one
each in May and June had but temporary
effect on crops Unless heavy rain comes
speedily all kinds Of grain will be well nigh
destroyed. Stunted yellow spears bending
discohs solately over immense beds of dust
are the only evidence that the farmers
sowed any corn this year The leaves OF the
fruit trees are falling off, and the fruit
which promised to be plenty is wrinkled and
dried to the stem. Raspberry bushes look
as though they we're producing crop OF
shot, so lntinitesimal and hard are the ber-
ries.
The drouth has become so terrible that
public prayers are being offered for ram.
The fences along the country roads and the
dead walls Of the villages are plastered
with huge yellow 8fd red bills calling for
special services at the distr1Gt sctfcol-h0uses
and churches. The following postet at
tracted particular attention: Prayer i5f
Raip-Special service will be held In the
Congregational Church, Tuesday, June %,
at ten a. IT, It Is hoped that the members
of the different clutches, the farmers Of
| the district and the business teen OF our
town will devote the above hour TO pleading
with Heaven for rain to save our crops from
ruin. Cambridge, ILL.,, June %, 1887" 1t
was noon before the last farmer tied his
horse IN the shed Of the church and joined
the suppiitauts. Nearly all the business
houses in the city we're Closed The hot
sun streamed through the open windows
| and made the room uncomforta6ls'
After a short address. in which Rev. Dr..
Eldredge spoke of the object of the meet
| ing, the horny handed and tanned yeoman-
| nv fell upon their knees, while the pastor
| offered up most pitlful prayer During
| the supphcation, which lasted fully half an
| hour, there was a constant fusilade OF
| "Amensn and GLORY to God" from the
| faithful The scene was unlike any thing
ever seen here before, and many who wit
| hessed 1t we're moved to tears. The farms
and homes If hfsny gray-haired men de
pend upon the SPEEDY answering OF this
prayer. When the sun went down Tues
day night not cloud obscured the sky, and
| when the morning came the air was as
sitting and lifeiess as at any time during
the drouth. a.
A prayer meeting was hela on the farm
Of Jules Lippincott last night. Farmers
| came from miles around, and when all was
ready men and women fell upon their
knees, and lifting their faces to the stars,
| implored God to send rain. At that hour
a bank of rain clouds crept slowly out of
| the southwest and soon spread over the
entire horizon. The prospect of deliver
ance from the ruin that faced them drove
many of the men delrious with joy, and the
meeting which few moments before was
Of the thOst ltgu briOus character now
broke up with dance and a prayer of
thanksgiving. Rain did not come, how
ever, and the atmosphere tonight is suffo-
eating Fires are burning in the woods,
and pastures for miles around are scorcheas
The farmers have lost many cattle in these
fires, which seem to spring up in a dozen
places at once. Section hands along the
railroads are worn out from their per-
sistent struggles against the flames during
the last fortnight. To show to what
straits the farmers are placed in it was
reported to-day that the starving herds of
cattle had been turned loose into the Oat
field. s'.r-a.r r...
Reports from all parts Of Henry and al
joining counties tell of intense suffering
from the drouth The drinking water in
manu- foUps haa haan nolluta6
white beds of the creeks are covered with
decaying fish. The effect of the drOuth in
Mclean County is rather strange. In
former years, when rain fell copiously dur
ing April and May, rattlesnakes were sell
dom found. This year, however, the mead
ows and quarries are swarming with the
reptiles. While cutting grain the other
day three immense rattlesnakes became en-
twined IN the wheels of the reaper, and one
was hurled upon the lap of farmer The
latter dispatched the reptile with a whet4
stone and continued his work Chinch-
bugs and all the pests OF the garden are
more numerous tins year than ever before.
The drought in the Northern and Central
tiers Of counties of Illinois is not any more
serious than it is in Wisconsin. The Badger
State is literally burning up, fruit and
crops are nearly destroyed, and in some
towns wateris so scarce that the authorI-
! ties have forbidden the sprinklng OF the
streets. The great numbering towns are as
dry as a bone, and it would not take but a
spark and high gale of wind to repeat the
wild scenes when the Peshtigo fires of 1877
drove thousands of people into the lake to
their necks.
Reports from Northwestern Iowa state
that the drouth has been broken by refresh
ing showers. For weeks previous TO the
storm masses were said in the German
Catholic Church, of Carroll, and prayers
offered up in all the sectarian places of
worship When the first rain fell all the
bells in the city were rung, and at night the
stores were illuminated and pyroteehnlcs
burned.